BBC, Irish Film Board ink docu pact

Partners to co-producing up to five docus

LONDON — BBC’s docu strand “Storyville” and the Irish Film Board have inked a partnership for co-producing up to five docus in the two territories in the next year.

The collaboration, which will seek to increase docu co-production between Blighty and Ireland, aims to produce docus with financing from both parties: IFB will be a minority financier on several U.K.-led documentaries that will offer Irish talent key roles in the productions, while the BBC will also partner on a slew of Irish-led docus.

IFP production exec Alan Maher noted that the last four years have seen a “marked increase” in the local and international success of Irish feature docus.

“However, the industry needs to remain ambitious in terms of growing opportunities for both co-production finance and international opportunities for our key creative talent, and we believe this new partnership with ‘Storyville’ will achieve both of these aims,” he said.